3D R Quad DIY Kit User manual

QUAD
DIY
KITS
Thank you for purchasing a 3DR Quad DIY Kit!
These instructions will guide you through assembling and wiring
your new autonomous multicopter.

1
CONTENTS Your 3DR Quad Kit contains:
Metal nuts (16)
Nylon nuts (4)
5 mm nylon bolts (8)
5 mm steel bolts (24)
25 mm steel bolts (12)
30 mm steel bolts (4)
Zip ties (8)
18 mm threaded spacers (12)
Accessory
plate
APM plate
Top plate
Landing gear
pieces (8)
You will also need:
Black arm (3)
Blue arm (2)
Battery strap
850 Kv motors with
bullet connectors (4)
Option: 880 Kv motors
10 x 4.7 SF (normal) propellers (2)
Option: 11 x 4.7 SF propellers
10 x 4.7 SFP (pusher) propellers (2)
Option: 11 x 4.7 SFP propellers
Electronic speed
controllers (4)
Power distribution board
Deans to XT60 adapter
Power module with Deans or
XT60 connectors
Deans connectors - male (4)
6-position power
module cable
»Phillips screwdriver (small)
»5.5 mm (7/32) wrench
»Double-sided foam mounting tape
These instructions require some minor
soldering. If you’re unfamiliar with
soldering, our friends at Sparkfun have
some great tutorials that can get you
started, including this comic:
learn.sparkfun.com/curriculum/42.
For an example of exactly what you’ll
be doing for this assembly (soldering
Deans connectors to ESCs), check out
this video: youtu.be/3LJIQeKuLLU.
Heat shrink tubing
Bottom plate
»2 mm (5/64) hex wrench
»Soldering equipment
»Blue threadlocking compound
30 mm threaded spacers (4)
8 mm threaded spacers (4)
Metal lock washers (8)
Rubber washers (4)
Two-wire RC receiver cable
Five-wire RC receiver cable
XT60 connector -
male

2
2.6
Micro USB cable
4 mm JP1
jumper connector
6 mm PPM
jumper connector
3DR APM 2.6 Kit:
You may have opted to also receive:
USB extension cable
Telemetry cable
Air module
Ground module
Antennas (2)
Telemetry adapter
cable
3DR APM 2.6
3DR uBlox GPS with Compass Kit:
3DR uBlox GPS
board with compass
6-position to
5-position GPS
cable
4-position compass
cable
3DR Radio Telemetry Kit:
FRAME ASSEMBLY
2Attach motors to arms
Each arm of your Quad will have a motor attached to the top of the arm using two 5 mm steel
bolts and two metal lock washers. To ensure motors are securely bolted to arms, apply a
small amount of threadlock to each bolt before fastening.
Threadlocking compound is an important component to ensure your motors remain
firmly attached! For application tips, check out this video: goo.gl/bM3MA.
5 mm bolts
and lock
washers
Position holes in the bottom of the motor over
the two small holes on either side of the larger
hole in top in the of the arm. Secure with two
5 mm steel bolts (with a metal lock washer on
each bolt) by accessing through the two large
holes in the bottom of the arm. Thread the motor
cables through the arm using the hole in the side
of the arm. Repeat for all four arms.
Thread
cables
1Choose + or x
Your 3DR Quad can be flown in both + (plus)
and x (cross) configurations. A plus-configured
copter flies with one arm forward, while a
cross-configured copter flies with two arms
forward. While both configurations provide
excellent performance, cross is standard and
recommended for new fliers. For plus, use three
black arms and one blue arm when assembling your copter, and remember to specify plus
when choosing your frame orientation during software configuration. These instructions will
continue assembling a Quad in cross orientation.
x (cross) configuration + (plus) configuration

3
Attach a threaded collet to the top of each motor using the
four small screws included with collets. Apply threadlock to
each screw before fastening. Repeat for all four motors.
5Attach top and bottom plates
Place the arm between the two plates so the two holes
in the arm align with the holes in the plates. Insert a bolt
into each hole and secure with nuts. For inner holes use
30 mm bolts and metal nuts; for outer holes use 25 mm
bolts and metal nuts. Add a rubber washer on top of the
nut on the inner holes.
For plus configuration: Attach a blue arm to only the
position on the plate marked with an arrow.
Top plateBottom plate
Next add the spacers that will hold the power distribution board in place.
Using the four holes in the bottom plate shown across, align four 8 mm
threaded spacers, and secure from the bottom using four 5 mm nylon
bolts.
Slide the battery strap through the two slots in the bottom plate.
The top and bottom plates will form the main frame by attaching to your copter’s arms.
Align plates in the orientation show below, and attach two blue arms to one end and two
black arms to the other using the four pairs of holes as shown.
Install motor collets3
Motor collet assembly
25 mm bolt + arm + metal nut
Outer holes use:
4Assemble legs
Leg assembly
Your Quad has four legs, each comprised of two
landing gear pieces. To assemble each leg, align
two landing gear pieces and attach through the
three bottom holes using three 18 mm threaded
spacers and six 5 mm nylon bolts.
For each hole, position spacer between holes,
and secure from each side with nylon bolts.
Repeat for all four legs.
Attach legs to arms with leg pointing toward
motors. Align the two top holes in the leg with
the two holes in the center of the arm. Insert
two 25 mm bolts and secure with metal nuts.
25 mm bolts
18 mm
spacers
Metal nuts
5 mm
nylon
bolts
Attach black arms here
Attach blue arms here
Inner holes use:
30 mm bolt + arm + metal nut + rubber washer
Bottom plate
5 mm nylon bolt + 8 mm spacer

4
1
POWER WIRING
Place power distribution board
2Solder connectors to electronic speed controllers
The power distribution board (PDB) allocates power to your copter’s motors. Place the PDB
in the center of your copter through the hole in the top plate. Align PDB so the four 8 mm
spacers insert into the four holes in the PDB. Secure with four nylon nuts
Electronic speed controllers (ESCs) regulate how much power is applied to each motor. To
connect the four ESCs to the PDB, you will need to solder the provided Deans connectors to
the ESCs’ black and red wires.
Solder Deans connectors to ESCs:
Add a half-inch length of heat shrink tubing onto
each ESC red wire and black wire. Solder the
positive Deans connector plug to the red wire
and the negative Deans connector plug to the
black wire. Shrink tubing over connections.
Add heat shrink and align wires to correct plugs.
Deans to ESC:
Negative = Black
Positive = Red
-+
Soldered connectors
3Connect ESCs to motors and PDB
The diagram below indicates the number of each motor. Starting
with the motor labeled 1, connect the ESC three-wire cable to the
corresponding position on the PDB pins (M1 for motor 1, M4
for motor 4, etc.) with orange wire positioned farthest from the
adjacent Deans connector. Connect ESC Deans connector to PDB
Deans connector for that motor. Repeat for all motors and ESCs.
APM
2
CCW
1
CCW
3
CW
4
CW
APM
1
CCW
2
CCW
4
CW
3
CW
APM
5
CCW
4
CCW
2
CCW
6
CW
1
CW
3
CW
APM
5
CCW
2
CCW
4
CCW
3
CW
6
CW
1
CW
Quad motor order
Blue arms
Motor connected to ESC
Connect motor cable bullet connectors to ESC bullet connectors.
Each ESC should connect to only one motor.
Don’t secure the ESCs to the frame until you have confirmed that each
motor spins in the direction specified in the diagram above (see motor
setup instructions at copter.ardupilot.com).
ESC connected to PDB
Deans
Pins
Motor #
labels

5
2.6
INSTALL APM
4Connect power module to PDB
Connect power module 6-position cable to the power module 6-position port. Place power
module in the center of your copter near the PDB. Connect PDB red and black cable (with
Deans) to power module Deans connectors. (If you opted to receive a power module with
XT60 connectors, you can use the provided Deans-to-XT60 adapter plug to connect the
power module to the PDB.)
1Mount APM
Place APM 2.6 in the center of the APM plate
with the arrow on the case facing as shown.
Use double-sided foam tape to secure
APM to the plate.
Ensure mounting tape is firmly attached so the position of APM doesn’t shift during flight.
For APM 2.5: Mount APM to the top of the accessory plate.
For plus configuration: Mount APM with arrow pointing toward blue arm.
Ensure arrow on APM
points forward!
3DR APM 2.6
2.6
3DR uBlox GPS with Compass:
Connect the 6-position to 5-position cable to the GPS
6-position port and to the APM GPS port (use top-entry
port not side-entry port). Connect the 4-position cable to
the GPS 4-position port and to the APM I2C port.
3DR Radio air module:
Attach antenna to 3DR Radio air module.
Connect telemetry cable to the air module pins
(ensuring that the red wire aligns with the pin
marked 5V) and to the APM Telem port.
3Wire additional components to APM
APM plate
Place the GPS module onto the square end of the accessory
plate with the arrow pointing towards the center of the plate.
Use double-sided foam tape to secure case to plate.
2Mount GPS Accessory plate
Ensure arrow on
GPS points forward!

6
6Connect APM to power module and PDB
Connect the power module six-position cable
(red and black) to the APM PM port. Connect the
PDB four-wire cable (multicolored) to the APM
Outputs signal pins (top row). Ensure that the
wire originating in the position on the PDB pins
labeled M1 connects to the APM Output signal
pin labeled 1, the M4 wire connects to position
4, etc.
Locate the PDB four-wire cable (multicolored) and the power module six-position cable (red
and black); thread these cables up through the slots in the APM plate where they can connect
to the APM.
PDB to APM wiring
APM output
pin positions
PDB wire
positions
5Attach accessory plate to APM plate
Place accessory plate on top of APM plate, and align
the four 30 mm spacers with the four holes in the
accessory plate. Secure accessory plate to spacers
using four 5 mm nylon bolts.
APM plate Accessory plate
30 mm spacer + 5 mm nylon bolt
4Attach APM plate to top plate
Now we’ll attach the APM plate to the top plate. The APM plate
connects to the ends of the four 30 mm bolts securing the inside
holes of the arms. Place the four holes in the APM plate over the
exposed 30 mm bolts on the top plate and secure with 30 mm
threaded spacers.
30 mm bolt + 30 mm spacer
APM plate
7Connect RC receiver to APM
When you’re ready to install an RC receiver module, use the provided four-wire and two-wire
cables to connect to APM. Using the four-wire cable, connect the receiver’s channel pins
to the corresponding APM Input signal pins. Use the two-wire cable to connect power and
ground pins between APM and the receiver to provide power to the receiver.
Complete plate assembly

7
Your 3DR Quad assembly is complete! For software
downloads and pre-flight configuration instructions,
please visit: copter.ardupilot.com. Happy flying!
ATTACH PROPELLERS (PRE-FLIGHT)
Prop nut
Motor
Propeller
Plastic ring
Spacer
Collet
Safety Check! Ensure writing on props faces up.
COUNTERCLOCKWISE ROTATION:
USE NORMAL PROPELLER
CLOCKWISE ROTATION:
USE PUSHER PROPELLER
Your copter includes normal propellers (unmarked or marked “SF”) and pusher propellers
(marked “SFP” or “P“). The direction of each motor is shown below: add pusher propellers
to motors marked clockwise, add normal propellers to motors marked counterclockwise.
CCW
!
!
CW
CCW
!!
CW
CCW
!
!
CW
CCW
!!
CW
SECURE WIRING (PRE-FLIGHT)
Making sure your copter’s wiring is neatly secured is an important safety step.
Before flying, use zip ties to secure ESCs to the frame. Ensure that all wires are
secured so that they cannot become entangled in spinning propellers but are
not too tight around corners (no hard 90-180 degree bends) and do not pull on
the APM or other components. Always complete the pre-flight checklist before
takeoff (copter.ardupilot.com/wiki/checklist).
Remove plastic rings from propeller package, select the one with the larger internal
diameter, and insert it into the back of the
propeller hub.
Add propeller to motor collet with writing
facing up in relation to the sky. Add metal
spacer and prop nut; tightly fasten prop
nut to threaded collet.
We recommend inserting a hex wrench
(2 mm) into the hole in the side of the
prop nut to get better leverage when
tightening prop nuts.
APM
2
CCW
1
CCW
3
CW
4
CW
APM
1
CCW
2
CCW
4
CW
3
CW
APM
5
CCW
4
CCW
2
CCW
6
CW
1
CW
3
CW
APM
5
CCW
2
CCW
4
CCW
3
CW
6
CW
1
CW
Quad motor order
Blue arms